Sunday, November 13, 2022

Kedushas Eretz Yisrael Bi-koach U-bifoal - Part 2

The separation between the Jews and the nations of the world, has a dual purpose. Both to prepare the Jewish people, and to pave the way for the nations to -  "והלכו גוים לאורך", the Gentiles will go according to your Light. When the nations want to connect to Kedusha, they will understand that the Kedusha of the Jewish people is separate from the nations, "לכו ונעלה אל הר ה' אל בית א-להי יעקב" - "Let us go to the mountain of Hashem to the house of the G-d of Yaakov". They want to connect to the separate,distinct Kedusha of the Jews. 

The pasuk says "ראה ויתר גויים" "He saw and permitted the Gentiles" [Chavakuk 3-6] on which Chazal expounded that Hashem saw the seven mitzvos of Bnei Noach and permitted them [Avoda Zara 2b]. Even though they fulfill the mitzvos, they don't receive reward as commanded but the lesser reward as not being commanded. The prohibition of Avoda Zara is included in the 7 mitzvos of Noach. For Jews the mitzva is יהרג ואל יעבור and thus one must die rather than transgress. Gentiles are not commanded with the mitzva of Kiddush Hashem so they have no command of יהרג ואל יעבור. That is why ראה ויתר גוים - He permitted what was "bound together". What binds all mitzvos together is Kedusha. The Gentiles don't have access to the unique kedusha of mitzvos. 

ומאתיים לנוטרים את פריו - Two hundred for those who guard it's fruit. According to the Zohar [זוהר מדרש נעלם חיי שרה] this refers to the level of Kiddush Hashem. Those who guard the fruit are the Jews who keep the mitzvos and particularly the mitzva of Kiddush Hashem which encompasses them all. This level relates to our world but about the future it says

 "וְעָמְד֣וּ זָרִ֔ים וְרָע֖וּ צֹאנְכֶ֑ם וּבְנֵ֣י נֵכָ֔ר אִכָּרֵיכֶ֖ם וְכֹרְמֵיכֶֽם. וְאַתֶּ֗ם כֹּהֲנֵ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ תִּקָּרֵ֔אוּ מְשָׁרְתֵ֣י אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ יֵאָמֵ֖ר לָכֶ֑ם חֵ֤יל גּוֹיִם֙ תֹּאכֵ֔לוּ וּבִכְבוֹדָ֖ם תִּתְיַמָּֽרוּ". 

"And strangers shall stand and shepherd your flocks, and Gentiles shall be your plowmen and your vineyard workers. But you shall be named the priests of Hashem; men shall call you the ministers of our God. You shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their splendor you shall revel."

We see that Chazal explained expressions taken from the realm of working the land, to be veiled references to keeping mitzvos. לעבדה ושמרה  - In Gan Eden, Adam was commanded to לעבדה - keep mitzvos aseh and לשמרה - refrain from transgressing mitzvos lo taaseh [Zohar Bereishis 27a]. From here we see that the notion of Gentiles being plowmen and vineyard workers can be understood as keeping mitzvos. While the Jews will be on a different level: 

  וְנוֹדַ֤ע בַּגּוֹיִם֙ זַרְעָ֔ם וְצֶאֱצָאֵיהֶ֖ם בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעַמִּ֑ים כׇּל־רֹֽאֵיהֶם֙ יַכִּיר֔וּם כִּ֛י הֵ֥ם זֶ֖רַע בֵּרַ֥ךְ יְהֹוָֽה׃ 

And their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples. All that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which Hashem has blessed.

The nations will see, appreciate and acknowledge, that the Jews are endowed with a special, distinct Kedusha and will understand that in order to bestow upon creation more Kedusha they must be elevated and accept the mitzvos as מצווה ועושה - commanded and not merely voluntary performers. The Jews on the other hand, will receive an "upgrade" to being all "כהני השם" and "משרתי א-להינו" - Priests of Hashem and Servants of the Almighty. 

" וַיִּשְׁכֹּן֩ יִשְׂרָאֵ֨ל בֶּ֤טַח בָּדָד֙ עֵ֣ין יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ דָּגָ֣ן וְתִיר֑וֹשׁ

"Israel dwells in safety; the spring of Yaacov alone in a land of grain and wine". 

The term "עין יעקב" relates to a spring, the Jewish people who like a spring of living waters are constantly renewed - מתחדש ומתגבר מעצמו. This is alluded to in our Parsha. Eliezer wanted Yitzchak to marry his daughter, as it says "אלי לא תאבה האשה" - Maybe the woman won't want to come. The word "maybe" is written w/o a "ו" so it can be read "אלי" - to me. Eliezer had a daughter whom he wanted to marry Yitzchak. But Avraham said that you are ארור - cursed [as a כנעני] and I am blessed [for Hashem blessed him] - you can't make a shidduch between blessed and cursed people. We have to understand - Why could Avraham not make a shidduch with Eliezer? Chazal say that Eliezer was דמשק אליעזר - שדולה ומשקה מתורת רבו לאחרים. Eliezer would draw from the teachings of Avraham and pass them on to others. So why not make a shidduch with a devoted talmid? The answer is that he was not original. He would pass Avraham's Torah on to others with no personal input. He was not a מעיין - a self-regenerating spring. The Torah didn't become assimilated into his personality and thus he remained "ארור". He is characterized as "עבד אברהם", meaning a מושפע, one who is impacted by others and is not a משפיע - influencer of others by the force of his own knowledge and personality. שרה was concerned that Yishamel should not inherit Avraham "כי לא יירש בן האמה הזאת עם בני עם יצחק". Hashem agreed [כביכול] with Sarah and the Kedusha of Eretz Yisrael is established by the Jewish people alone.